WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Miller still on the fast track

Former Palmyra speedster is now teaching his trade at Lower Dauphin.

Greg Miller, center, won many a 100-meter dash titles during a brilliant scholastic career at Palmyra in the late 1990s. In this photo from the 1999 Lebanon County meet, Miller outduels Cedar Crest s Jaren Hayes, left, and Tony Tirado in a highly-competitive race for the gold.
(LEBANON DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO)

In the late 1990s, Greg Miller was Lebanon County's fastest human, speeding around the local scholastic track and field scene as a star sprinter at Palmyra Area High School.

Today, he's no longer bursting out of starting blocks and engaging in 100- and 200-meter dash duels with the best in the state, but Miller is still moving pretty fast.

Both personally and professionally, Miller's life these days is somewhat of a blur, albeit a happy one. He's busy raising two daughters with wife Lee Ann, helping manage the merchandising department for the Rite Aid Corporation and spending what's left of his spare time coaching the boys' and girls' track and field teams at Lower Dauphin High School.

Miller is also the subject of this month's Daily News feature "Where Are They Now?", which focuses on former standout athletes from Lebanon County and their current lives and careers.

Though proud of his personal accomplishments, it's not so much the individual glory that Miller looks back on fondly - and there was plenty of it for the three-time District Three AAA 100- and 200-meter champion - but rather the devotion to teamwork and friendships that marked his track and field career then and continues to today.

"It was the camaraderie, the relationships I built, more than anything," Miller said, when asked what he remembered most about his glory days.

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"I got to know people like Hyleas Fountain (Olympic heptahlon silver medallist and CD East grad), and I raced against (former Penn State and NFL linebacker) LaVar Arrington at states one year. Just little things like that, those are the things I probably remember the most."

Miller also pointed to Palmyra's 1999 district track team title as one of the highlights of his scholastic career, but it was an individual battle earlier that spring that many local fans probably remember even more vividly.

At the '99 Lebanon County Meet, Miller squared off with then-Cedar Crest freshman Jaren Hayes in the 100 meters in what was arguably one the most-anticipated local track showdowns in county history.

Miller prevailed in a scorching 10.4 seconds, breaking his own county record in the process, with Hayes and Crest teammate Tony Tirado hot on his trail.

"We had battled all year," Miller said of the showdown with Hayes. "I had just outleaned him in a scrimmage earlier in the season, and I knew it was gonna be a close race. He was a great competitor and really pushed me to get better. I'm pretty sure that was one of the fastest races in county history.

When former Palmyra sprinting star Greg Miller isn t busy coaching the Lower Dauphin track and field team, you can find him spending quality time with his family, wife Lee Ann and their two daughters, 6-year-old Delaney, center, and 2-month-old Reagan (not pictured). (SUBMITTED)

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In addition, Miller spent time on the gridiron at Palmyra, playing running back for a program that evolved from historically bad to playoff contender by the time his career was over.

"It was pretty special to me," he said. "We didn't have a real great football team; at one time we had the longest losing streak in the state. But we beat Annville-Cleona my junior year to break that streak, then we went 7-3 my senior year. I broke my collarbone that year, but it was great being part of turning around a program and starting something fresh."

Track and field, though, was Miller's true sports love.

His sprinting prowess helped him secure a scholarship to Penn State, where he continued to excel and today still ranks third all-time in the 200 meters.

Following graduation, Miller eventually made his way into coaching, first helping out with Palmyra's middle school football team, then later taking over the track and field program at Lower Dauphin.

Miller learned of the opening at LD while dating Lee Ann, an elementary school teacher in the district and eight years later is still as committed to the program as the day he was hired.

It's been a mutually beneficial relationship, both for the boys' and girls' teams, the latter of which enters the 2013 season riding a 32-meet win streak and looking to add a fourth straight Mid-Penn Keystone title to its collection.

"It's been a great opportunity and experience for me," Miller said. "I've got a great staff, and we've been able in the last seven years to build a strong program."

Not that there aren't some long days during the season.

A typical spring weekday for Miller sees him hard at work at Rite-Aid from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., off to track practice at 3 and then home in the evening to spend time with Lee Ann and their two daughters, 6-year-old Delaney and newborn Reagan, who came into the world on Dec. 9.

The entire Miller family can also sometimes be found together at meets, making their time apart not so lengthy.

"My wife is a teacher, so I'm very fortunate that she understands the time commitment involved," Miller said. "And we've kinda turned it into a family affair and tried to create a team atmosphere about it."

Miller also looks at his athletes and fellow coaches as a family and thoroughly embraces both the joys and the struggles that come with being a part of one.

"It's very rewarding and challenging, all at the same time," he said. "The most rewarding part is seeing their faces, how happy they are, when they accomplish something they thought they couldn't.

"Just working with that kid who didn't think they had a speck of athletic ability and turning them into a consistent point scorer is very rewarding."

As is remaining in touch with athletes he's coached once they move on to college and beyond.

Miller notes he enjoyed a similar experience at Palmyra with then-middle school coach Jim Firestone and his high school sprint coach Melissa Weidler, now the head coach at Lebanon Valley College.

"I had some amazing coaches," he said. "I still find myself using (coaching) tips with my kids that I learned in seventh grade. It's that kind of stuff that you don't forget."

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